HANDELSMAN NBC NEWS. NEWS FOUR'S MIKE MCCORMICK CONTINUES OUR COVERAGE - LIVE AND LOCAL FROM THE COWPENS NATIONAL BATTLEFIELD. MIKE - THE PARK WAS ABLE REOPEN THIS MORNING. RIGHT.. IT'S LOCKED UP NOW.. BUT THAT'S ONLY BECAUSE IT NORMALLY CLOSES AT FIVE P-M. ON OCTOBER FIRST... EMPLOYEES LOCKED UP AND LEFT. 16 DAYS LATER.. VISITORS.. RETURNED.. BECAUSE LIKE THIS PARK.. THE GOVERMENT SHUTDOWN.. IS HISTORY. 24:14 "when I come here everyday, it's home." BOB LEBRUN IS A WORLD WAR TWO VETERAN.. WHO VOLUNTEERS HERE AT THE COWPENS NATIONAL BATTLEFIELD. HE USED TO LIVE ON PART OF THE PROPERTY.. BUT SOLD IT TO THE GOVERMENT.. SO.. WHEN THE PARK CLOSED.. 26:40 "they shouldn't have done that." HE FELT LIKE HE'D BEEN LOCKED OUT OF HIS OWN HOME. 27:44 "it was the worst thing they could've ever done. It hurt my feelings." THE SHUTDOWN WAS PERSONAL FOR SUPERINTENDENT JOHN SLAUGHTER, TOO. 29:50 "I came out each and every day and met with the visitors that were disappointed. It was tough. It was heart- wrenching." HE SAYS.. THE 15 EMPLOYEES.. WILL GET BACK PAY. BUT RE-OPENING.. WAS LIKE A BIG BONUS. 29:30 "we're pretty excited about it. THE SIGN AT THE VISITORS CENTER READS "WELCOME BACK TO COWPENS." 33:31 "we're looking to seeing the battlefield and learning about the history." JIM AND SUSAN KAMBA ARE FROM CHICAGO. 33:17 "we've had the trip planned for about 2 months, and we decided to take our chances." THEY FLEW IN FROM CHICAGO - THIS MORNING. 33:48 "i'm feeling lucky. We should go by a casino I think." THOUGH THE SHUTDOWN DIDN'T TRIP UP THEIR TRIP.. THEY CAN'T IGNORE THE FACT THAT IT DID.. PUT A LOT OF PLANS.. IN PARK. 33:57 "pretty disappointed in the government, our representatives, that they let it go this far." THE COWPENS BATTLEFIELD COULDN'T BE PART OF THE RECENT UPSTATE REVOLUTIONARY WAR WEEKEND - BUT WE'RE TOLD THE CITY OF GAFFNEY STEPPED UP AND HOSTED EVENTS THAT WOULD'VE HAPPENED HERE. MIKE MCCORMICK, WYFF NEWS FOUR, LIVE IN GAFFNEY.

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